Clear cuts..
- strutnrut716
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Re: Clear cuts..
Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
- Jonny
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Re: Clear cuts..
strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
Find the ones that have gates and berms and are a long walk. Guys up there are typically lazy and don't like hunting far from their trucks. I call them road hunters. My best sits are the ones where I walk back a mile or so on the logging trails. If it looks great from the road, they will hammer it all season. Logging trails are also nice because you can walk a lot faster and won't make much noise as they are supposed to be upkept in case of emergency. I also really like atv trails for this reason as well. If legal, a bike would work great. By me it isn't but the wording is shady so I am going to try and ask somebody for a better definition on using a bike.
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
- Jonny
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Re: Clear cuts..
Jonny wrote:strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
Find the ones that have gates and berms and are a long walk. Guys up there are typically lazy and don't like hunting far from their trucks. I call them road hunters. My best sits are the ones where I walk back a mile or so on the logging trails. If it looks great from the road, they will hammer it all season. Logging trails are also nice because you can walk a lot faster and won't make much noise as they are supposed to be upkept in case of emergency. I also really like atv trails for this reason as well. If legal, a bike would work great. By me it isn't but the wording is shady so I am going to try and ask somebody for a better definition on using a bike.
Make sure you check on the bike regulations if you go that route. Just got confirmation that I can use a bike in one county but not the other. Gonna keep my eyes on craigslist now
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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Re: Clear cuts..
JMAR85 wrote:Bowhunter4life wrote:JMAR85 wrote:Bowhunter4life wrote:Ive hunted tons of clear cuts over the years. Killed most of my better bucks in near them as well. I like a cut that is 4-5 years old. That is when I typically start seeing more buck bedding in them. Younger cuts are more of a food source than bedding but every situation is a little different.
Bowhunter, do you have any advice on the location of the clearcut that makes it more advantageous for cruising bucks in a hill country setting? Looking at the maps I'm seeing cuts on the ridgetops cuts on the hill side and cuts in the bottoms. I'm trying to figure out where to focus my scouting.
It is hill country here where I hunt in southern MO. When trying to focus in on a clear cut I would definitely look more at the ones that are along ridges and ridge tops. Couple different reasons for that. Biggest advantage is your able to play the wind better up on a ridge than down in a bottom. Other reasons is the deer will use it more for bedding when it runs along or through ridges. Does love to bed in them and the bucks do as well on the points, benches and so forth.
If your looking more of timing this near cruising stages then I would focus more on terrain than the clear cut edge itself. Edges are great and we all know deer follow and use them but when a buck is in search of a doe he is going to use the terrain to his advantage to get from point A to B. In the hills that is what it is about, terrain and pressure. Find the most remote cuts and search those out. Find your doe groups and you should be able to see the cruising sign from bucks in the past years (rubs & scrapes) I'd search out the less obvious points and knobs in them as this is where you typically find the buck bedding, not so much the points that show up on a Topo map.
I've had some great hunts in and near cuts!
For the second week of Nov do you think I'm better off just focusing on terrain features and forget about the clear cuts?
I would definitely not scratch off the idea of hunting the clear cuts. Deer flock to those areas for many different reason, bedding being a big one. Offers good browse and security so if they aren't pressured I figure you will find plenty of sign there. I was just saying that I would focus more on the terrain in or near the cuts than the actual edge of the cut. Locate the bucks and where they bed then find your does and use the terrain in between to funnel the movement. Many different variables at hand here when it comes to a clear cut but all things being equal, you will find more deer in near those than say in the open woods.
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Re: Clear cuts..
strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
A good northern Wisconsin clear cut can be some ice rthe better hunting north of HWY 8. A good thing to look for that I have found is these logging roads will only get you to the clear cut and through it when they are realativly young. After they thicken up it becomes hard to walk through them so I tend to walk around the edge of the clear cut and get to a backside as far away from the main access.
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Re: Clear cuts..
Jonny wrote:Jonny wrote:strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
Find the ones that have gates and berms and are a long walk. Guys up there are typically lazy and don't like hunting far from their trucks. I call them road hunters. My best sits are the ones where I walk back a mile or so on the logging trails. If it looks great from the road, they will hammer it all season. Logging trails are also nice because you can walk a lot faster and won't make much noise as they are supposed to be upkept in case of emergency. I also really like atv trails for this reason as well. If legal, a bike would work great. By me it isn't but the wording is shady so I am going to try and ask somebody for a better definition on using a bike.
Make sure you check on the bike regulations if you go that route. Just got confirmation that I can use a bike in one county but not the other. Gonna keep my eyes on craigslist now
Johnny do you mind disclosing what county the bike is legal in? If not I understand, I also found the wording to be a bit gray in the rule books.
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Re: Clear cuts..
bigwoodshuntn wrote:strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
A good northern Wisconsin clear cut can be some ice rthe better hunting north of HWY 8. A good thing to look for that I have found is these logging roads will only get you to the clear cut and through it when they are realativly young. After they thicken up it becomes hard to walk through them so I tend to walk around the edge of the clear cut and get to a backside as far away from the main access.
I meant to say some of the better hunting north of HWY 8. FAT FINGERS I tell ya.
- rfickes87
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Re: Clear cuts..
Speaking of clear cuts... I was doing some cyber scouting of some state forest here in PA. I haven't been to this area since i was a kid. I marked about 4 spots in stars where I suspect I'll find good bedding. Do you guys agree the 2 stars to the north are previously clear cut areas that have grown up into thickets now? Notice how much more dense they look than the rest of the wooded area. It surely looks like an overgrown previous clearcut but I'm not 100% sure. Being that the clear cut thickets are on the peaks of those ridges I think I'll find some nice bedding along that transition into the hardwoods on that 1/3 elevation. Do you guys agree?
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
- Jonny
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Re: Clear cuts..
bigwoodshuntn wrote:Jonny wrote:Jonny wrote:strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
Find the ones that have gates and berms and are a long walk. Guys up there are typically lazy and don't like hunting far from their trucks. I call them road hunters. My best sits are the ones where I walk back a mile or so on the logging trails. If it looks great from the road, they will hammer it all season. Logging trails are also nice because you can walk a lot faster and won't make much noise as they are supposed to be upkept in case of emergency. I also really like atv trails for this reason as well. If legal, a bike would work great. By me it isn't but the wording is shady so I am going to try and ask somebody for a better definition on using a bike.
Make sure you check on the bike regulations if you go that route. Just got confirmation that I can use a bike in one county but not the other. Gonna keep my eyes on craigslist now
Johnny do you mind disclosing what county the bike is legal in? If not I understand, I also found the wording to be a bit gray in the rule books.
Eau claire county strictly says no to bicycles where clark county only mentions motor vehicles. So I am positive I can use one in clark county now that I found that. I know I have seen signs saying no bikes but couldn't remember where, but now I am pretty confident it was eau claire. Which works cause I am buying my doe tag for clark county next year. More land and better areas. There are also a couple spots off some of the forest roads where a bike would be really nice for me as well. Some spots I scouted last season were over a mile walk just to get to the swamp edge. I'm sure you can guess where I am thinking of
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
- WV Bowhunter
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Re: Clear cuts..
rfickes87 wrote:Speaking of clear cuts... I was doing some cyber scouting of some state forest here in PA. I haven't been to this area since i was a kid. I marked about 4 spots in stars where I suspect I'll find good bedding. Do you guys agree the 2 stars to the north are previously clear cut areas that have grown up into thickets now? Notice how much more dense they look than the rest of the wooded area. It surely looks like an overgrown previous clearcut but I'm not 100% sure. Being that the clear cut thickets are on the peaks of those ridges I think I'll find some nice bedding along that transition into the hardwoods on that 1/3 elevation. Do you guys agree?
Maybe, it would be a good place to start looking. The public I hunt gets pounded some years and there would probably be treestands on all of those points.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity!!
- WV Bowhunter
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Re: Clear cuts..
I forgot to add that I have found buck bedding lower on the bottom edge of the clearcuts probably in part due to pressure and hunter/hiker access from above on the ridges and points.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity!!
- headgear
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Re: Clear cuts..
strutnrut716 wrote:
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
Kind of like hunting islands I look for the logging roads that cross swamps, the drive them easy in the winter but in the summer and fall they are wet and not accessible by trucks and atvs. Like others have mentions huge clearcut areas where there is only one access is also another spot to check out. Then clearcuts that just have plain old good bedding areas despite the area being cut or not. I also use lakes and rivers to access area that are somewhat remote with clearcuts, get creative and you will find the spots.
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Re: Clear cuts..
rfickes87 wrote:Speaking of clear cuts... I was doing some cyber scouting of some state forest here in PA. I haven't been to this area since i was a kid. I marked about 4 spots in stars where I suspect I'll find good bedding. Do you guys agree the 2 stars to the north are previously clear cut areas that have grown up into thickets now? Notice how much more dense they look than the rest of the wooded area. It surely looks like an overgrown previous clearcut but I'm not 100% sure. Being that the clear cut thickets are on the peaks of those ridges I think I'll find some nice bedding along that transition into the hardwoods on that 1/3 elevation. Do you guys agree?
Looks like a clear cut to me. Sometimes clear cuts on PA state land are entirely fenced in for forest regeneration, so it may be worth checking in person. If it is fenced in, the fence may create a travel corridor, but also keep in mind nothing will be bedding in the clear cut. The upper right area you marked should be a really nice pinch point for rut hunting. In PA hills i have most luck finding buck beds on the upper edge of steep ridges, especially points. You'll hear guys on here talk about hill country beds on the "military crest." Basically the bed is at the top of a point, with a steep drop off below. Walk the top edge of the steep stuff, and look for a single bed with an indentation worn to the dirt...move some leaves around and look for belly hair, thats a dead giveaway. Many times there will be an obstacle such as a log, uprooted tree, or big rock up against the bed.
Get in there and have a look!
- rfickes87
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Re: Clear cuts..
Thanks guys. Thanks josh s. Boy you just described my scouting trip to public land in ohio last weekend. I walked along the military crests and found several beds with belly hair in them. Put some cameras up to see whst survived the season. That's what i am about to do on this land in PA. Its a newer spot for me. Haven't been there since 2008. But used to hold a lot of deer. Trying to key in on the big boys with my beast skills. I'll hit it up soon and let you know what i find. Thanks again
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
- Jonny
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Re: Clear cuts..
bigwoodshuntn wrote:bigwoodshuntn wrote:strutnrut716 wrote:Great ideas ...Thanks ! I've hunted clear cuts in Northern WI for years. They are deer magnets ! The problem I have is access is very easy because of the logging. Easy walks in and I find many logging roads throughout. I usually try to hunt these very early season as the masses of other hunters usually don't show up till later in the bow season (ie rut). Once the gun season rolls around look out ! It becomes a true combat zone ...sea of orange !!
How do you guys combat easy access because of the left-over logging roads ??
A good northern Wisconsin clear cut can be some ice rthe better hunting north of HWY 8. A good thing to look for that I have found is these logging roads will only get you to the clear cut and through it when they are realativly young. After they thicken up it becomes hard to walk through them so I tend to walk around the edge of the clear cut and get to a backside as far away from the main access.
I meant to say some of the better hunting north of HWY 8. FAT FINGERS I tell ya.
Bigwoods, do you hunt clear cuts south of 8? Like down in our neck of the woods. Just wondering how much this changes from area to area
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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